33 Tips For Becoming a Great Piano Player

"There are at least 33 elements that contribute to becoming a good pianist," says Duane Shinn, pianist and owner of Keyboard Workshop in Medford, Oregon. "There are probably more, but without these 33 principles a pianist cannot hope to rise to the level of his ability."

Medford, Oregon (PRWEB) March 10, 2006 -- PlayPiano.com has released a list of 33 essential ingredients of piano playing for serious adults. These 33 factors combine to create a synergy which lead to playing piano from the heart, rather than from the fingers.

"There are at least 33 elements that contribute to becoming a good pianist," says Duane Shinn, long time pianist and owner of Keyboard Workshop in Medford, Oregon. "There are probably more, but without these 33 principles a pianist cannot hope to rise to the level of his ability."

Shinn has taught piano for 30 years, and has operated Piano University, Keyboard Workshop, and PlayPiano.com where hundreds of thousands of students have learned piano both in his local studios and through his DVD courses.

The 33 essentials of exciting piano playing are listed in full at the website at http://www.playpiano.com/33-tips.htm and include:

1 - Hand & Body Position -- Eye Flips

2 - The key to productive practice -- Spaced Repetition

3 - Attitude -- how it affects your learning

4 - How & when to pedal. Using explosive dynamics

5 - Exposure: why it's critically important

6 - Ear Training -- Intervals from 2nds to 13ths

7 - Fingering -- which finger do you use when?

8 - Chord substitutions that create fantastic sounds

9 - Chord recognition -- how to recognize what chord is being used

10 - Musical vocabulary: tempo words, form words

11- Arranging: how's your "bag of tricks" coming along

12 - Melodic sense: how does the melody relate to the chords?

13 - Sight-reading: 7 fundamentals you can't ignore

14 - Key orientation: Can you think in the key you're playing in?

15 - Scanning the score before you start playing

16 - Mental practice -- how to learn music in bed

17 - Repertoire: Why you need one to be prepared

18 - Goal setting: How good can you get?

19 - Rhythm awareness -- samba, fox trot, etc.

20 - Why music history is important to you

21 - Idea stealing -- how and where

22 - 12-bar blues; creating a motif; "blue notes"

23 - Extended chords: 6th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th

24 - Technique acquisition: rubber balls, drills

25 - Harmonization: Using I, IV & V to harmonize

26 - Key identification: Recognizing key signatures

27 - Voicing: Open, closed, registers, color tones

28 - Improvisation: Making music right out of your head

29 - Harmony & theory: How much should you know?

30 - Stylistic devices: Western, boogie, jazz, etc.

31 - Analysis: How to understand what you're hearing

32 - Riffs & runs & fills: How to develop them

33 - Cross-pollination: The best of all worlds

For full information please go to the website at www.playpiano.com/33-tips.htm

For More Information Contact:

Duane Shinn

http://www.playpiano.com/33-tips.htm

Keyboard Workshop

700 Play Piano Way

Medford, OR 97501

541-664-7052

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